So this was step 1 in getting another person to the moon, and potentially getting someone to Mars.

Other than that I kind of agree with you.

Thank you. It was not exactly easy for me to admit that.

I did marvel at the sheer terrifying power of the launch and all that fuel though. Gave me a new appreciation for all people who dare to strap themselves to a rocket and try to punch God in the face. Can't think of anything more insane or daring than that.

I get your point about it's nothing (other than the dual booster landing) that hasn't been done before... but you've got to admit that the shot of Starman with his elbow hanging on top of the Tesla door, presumably listening to David Bowie, with a "Don't Panic!" sign in front of him is a stroke of marketing genius and a very cool image.

It is getting young (and not so young) people excited about space again. How many people now want to work for SpaceX? That alone is a tremendous success.

I get your point about it's nothing (other than the dual booster landing) that hasn't been done before...

Phew. I honestly was wondering at times yesterday if there was some huge piece of the excitement puzzle I was missing.

but you've got to admit that the shot of Starman with his elbow hanging on top of the Tesla door, presumably listening to David Bowie, with a "Don't Panic!" sign in front of him is a stroke of marketing genius and a very cool image.

No, and I don't think I've ever called anything a stroke of marketing genius in my life! I am very cynical. Sometimes wonder if I suffer from the condition known as anhedonia. Sending a Tesla into space strikes me as a little crass. Every other object that people send up there generally has some specific science-oriented purpose. This seems more like an attempt to go viral on social media. I wondered why they couldn't outfit the car with a solar panel and a rechargable battery so it could keep broadcasting. Eh. Maybe you just have to be on the Elon Musk train to appreciate it all.

One of the exciting things is the speed and efficiency with which a small private company led by a wacky but brilliant CEO can go from the first concept rockets to launching the most powerful rocket on the planet in a relatively short amount of time.

C'mon - Musk has made space exciting again.

NASA with its bloated government bureaucracy coupled with their glacial and quite frankly, boring methods of operation just ain't cutting it for me.

Musk is already thinking ahead to the next thing. There are naysayers everywhere. For every outlandish idea he has, like the tunnel boring/high speed transit idea, you get some stodgy old fuck saying 'I've been digging tunnels for years. Does he think we're stupid? It can't be done.' Fucking A, let's move forward, not backward (I'm looking at you, Mr. Trump, with your 'beautiful and clean coal'). If anything, we need more people to cut through all the bullshit and solve problems, rather than think up more.

And yes, 'crass' is a perfectly appropriate word to describe the Stark-like showmanship that allows him to generate tons of capital. Flamethrowers, 'ludicrous mode', Big 'F-ing' Rocket, etc. It's all part of the spectacle. Beef, you truly are dead inside. Get on board or go back to your corner.

Sending a Tesla into space strikes me as a little crass. Every other object that people send up there generally has some specific science-oriented purpose. This seems more like an attempt to go viral on social media. I wondered why they couldn't outfit the car with a solar panel and a rechargable battery so it could keep broadcasting. Eh. Maybe you just have to be on the Elon Musk train to appreciate it all.

Well, this being a test flight, nobody would risk putting an actual useful payload on top of that rocket (and risk losing it with more than a 50% chance). Usually they just put some dead weight like tons of steel of something exciting like that. Instead, Musk and company decided to have some fun and create some excitement with the image of the (otherwise totally useless to him, first generation roadster) Musk's personal Tesla, outfitted with a mannequin wearing the same space suit that future astronauts aboard SpaceX rockets will wear (or derivatives of it). It was brilliant, IMHO. Btw, did you spot the little Tesla and little space man on the dashboard of the actual car? Cute!

As for not putting a panel or all that other stuff, they are not in the business of developing satellites, just rockets, capsules, etc... at SpaceX, cars and the like at Tesla, and you are right, solar panels and batteries at SolarCity (now part of Tesla), but perhaps that wouldn't have worked that easily without some significant R&D? The roadster was already a dead weight in Elon Musks's garage and the space suit was already demoed before, so it was a no brainer to put that together, and it captured the imagination of a lot of people, not to mention some banter on social media about it being the fastest car, etc...

One of the exciting things is the speed and efficiency with which a small private company led by a wacky but brilliant CEO can go from the first concept rockets to launching the most powerful rocket on the planet in a relatively short amount of time.

C'mon - Musk has made space exciting again.

NASA with its bloated government bureaucracy coupled with their glacial and quite frankly, boring methods of operation just ain't cutting it for me.

Musk is already thinking ahead to the next thing. There are naysayers everywhere. For every outlandish idea he has, like the tunnel boring/high speed transit idea, you get some stodgy old fuck saying 'I've been digging tunnels for years. Does he think we're stupid? It can't be done.' Fucking A, let's move forward, not backward (I'm looking at you, Mr. Trump, with your 'beautiful and clean coal'). If anything, we need more people to cut through all the bullshit and solve problems, rather than think up more.

And yes, 'crass' is a perfectly appropriate word to describe the Stark-like showmanship that allows him to generate tons of capital. Flamethrowers, 'ludicrous mode', Big 'F-ing' Rocket, etc. It's all part of the spectacle. Beef, you truly are dead inside. Get on board or go back to your corner.

This is quite a departure from your usual snarky detached pose so I can see that the excitement is real. The only objection I will raise with your post is the ripping on NASA. That's kind of harsh! They made it to the moon and back didn't they. Maybe their act seems boring but unlike Musk they deal with human lives!!!

Sending a Tesla into space strikes me as a little crass. Every other object that people send up there generally has some specific science-oriented purpose. This seems more like an attempt to go viral on social media. I wondered why they couldn't outfit the car with a solar panel and a rechargable battery so it could keep broadcasting. Eh. Maybe you just have to be on the Elon Musk train to appreciate it all.

Well, this being a test flight, nobody would risk putting an actual useful payload on top of that rocket (and risk losing it with more than a 50% chance). Usually they just put some dead weight like tons of steel of something exciting like that. Instead, Musk and company decided to have some fun and create some excitement with the image of the (otherwise totally useless to him, first generation roadster) Musk's personal Tesla, outfitted with a mannequin wearing the same space suit that future astronauts aboard SpaceX rockets will wear (or derivatives of it). It was brilliant, IMHO. Btw, did you spot the little Tesla and little space man on the dashboard of the actual car? Cute!

As for not putting a panel or all that other stuff, they are not in the business of developing satellites, just rockets, capsules, etc... at SpaceX, cars and the like at Tesla, and you are right, solar panels and batteries at SolarCity (now part of Tesla), but perhaps that wouldn't have worked that easily without some significant R&D? The roadster was already a dead weight in Elon Musks's garage and the space suit was already demoed before, so it was a no brainer to put that together, and it captured the imagination of a lot of people, not to mention some banter on social media about it being the fastest car, etc...

I am enjoying this discussion though I will say that I seem to be getting more cynical the more I hear about it. I think Elon Musk does a lot of publicity to advance an image of himself as some brilliant mad genius. I do not doubt that he is smart but I really cannot tell where's the line between man and myth. There is a ton of hype surrounding this guy.

Maybe his money has afforded him the opportunity to surround himself with the best and the brightest, but you don't fly rockets into space and return their boosters in perfect condition to their landing pads, totally in control, on hype.

From everything I have researched, he is truly smart and didn't need a 10 million dollar loan from his daddy to get started. (Unlike one particular billionaire who THINKS he's smart and would be nothing if not for Daddy. PT Barnum makes his living on hype. But, I guess I should save that for a different thread.)

Yes I can see that too. Not trying to get into an anti-Elon Musk jag or anything. Clearly someone who is a net positive to society. I guess alls I can say is that for whatever reason I almost completely missed the point of this rocket launch. I get it, I am the loser in this scenario. I do believe I have some form of pop-cultural anhedonia if such a thing exists.

FWIW - I don't think this guy's hype. He grew up a superdork in the same vein as Gates/Zuckerberg/Jobs/Bezos, etc (Tiger himself was a bit of a golf dork). Dudes that focus obsessively on something and have the resources and support systems to go after it 1000%. Anecdotally, Musk managed to shed much of the dorkiness (unlike some of the guys named above). I don't know the guy, so I don't know if the enthusiasm and showmanship is just his personality or if he feels somewhat compelled to showboat to retain investment capital morale until Tesla reaches the black.

Or old age. I am old fashioned. I know NASA had some stuff blowup on them and shit but they still do many very cool, cutting edge stuff. Hubble telescope anyone? Brings us all kinds of mind blowing pictures from the cosmos. I still think Elon Musk and crew have a ways to go to even measure up to the kind of stuff NASA routinely does.

That could soon change. I just read that later this year they are going to send two people up in one of these rockets, on a trip around the motherfuckin' moon! Now that is some real excitement.

Yeah, maybe I'm not giving NASA a fair shake. Just read up and seems like they have aspirations and plans in place for more deep space travel, but due to budget constraints and ballooning budgets, have had to extend timelines out. With upstarts like SpaceX drastically reducing costs (mostly through reusable boosters and scaling), and with Bezos (Blue Origin) and others wanting to get in (Google 'Billionaire Space Race'), and like it or not, Trump's affinity for anything grandiose, we might see NASA's dreams come to fruition sooner than later. Who says a little capitalism and free market competition doesn't get shit moving. Suck on that, Karl Marx.